Method and apparatus for clinching doors



June 30, 1931.

C. L. EKSERGIAN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CLINCHING DOORS Filed May 16, 1929 2 sheets'sgeet 1 l 3 m U n W. r i

IN V EN TOR. Y CAROLUS LE usmzeum Jaw/4 WTTOR NE Y.

FIG. 1

Patented June 30, 1931 ,UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OAROLUS L. EKSERGIAN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO EDWARD Gr. BUDD' MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORYORAIION OF PENNSYLVANIA METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CLINCHING DOORS Application filed May 18,

My invention has to do with clinching dies having a special adaptation to the clinching of the perimetral overlap portion of automobile doors, and to the method by which this is done.

An outstanding feature of this method is the simultaneous clinching of the entire perimeter in a die press. When this is done,

. themselves stand in the way of the usual door aligning and clamping devices which have been applied to the perinreter of the door itself or by way of the perimeter, cannot be used because the dies their application. In the former practice, compressed air hammers were used intermediary of the aligning and clamping devices to effect clinching of the intermediate port1ons, and thereafter the clamping devices were removed and the clinching completed, but the method of simultaneously die clinching so greatly speeds up the process of clinching and reduces the cost, that it is much to be preferred.

According to my method I clinch double walled automobile doors in the overlap through an alignment of the door achieved by engagement from within and between its inner and outer walls, and clinched by simultaneous die engagement of the entire overlap. The aligning and clamping en- 1 gagement, at least the aligning engagement, -I effect by way of a window opening reaching in through the path of the window between the walls of the door.

The apparatus for carrying it out comprises clinching dies each forming substantially a closed or substantially closed projection adapted to engage the door throughout its entire or substantially its entire perimeter, and door aligning devices mounted within the projection and engaging the door from between its inner and outer walls.

The best embodiment of this apparatus I illustrate in the accompanying drawings, and it serves well to illustrate the method also. I

Of the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a door aligned and clamped by the apparatus of my invention,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on line 22 of 1929. Serial No. 363,668.

1 1 of the inner paneling. At times, this overlap 12 extends around the entire periphery of the door, but in the form shown, it extends around the two vertical sides and the top only, the bottom having a joint of another nature and comprised of two inturned lapped flanges at 15. The outer panel is die stamped with its upstanding flange 13 and laid upside down upon a clinching table. The inner panel is formed with its outturned flange 14 over which flange 13 is to be clinched, and laid on top of the outer panel 11 in the relation shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The old practice, as aforesaid, was to align and clamp these parts in place and run along the upstanding flange 13 of the outer panel 11 with a compressed air hammer and clinch it down.

The apparatus for carrying out the method of my invention comprises a lower clinching die 16 extending around the entire peripheral portion of the door to be clinched, and a complemental upper die 17 extending around the entire upper peripheral portion to be clinched. The transverse portion of the die at the lower edge of the door is cut away to avoid interference with the lower thicker edge of the door. It may, if desired, be entirely omitted here, but is preferably used to inter-brace the side portions of the die. The forms of these dies constitute no part of the present invention and for that reason they are shown schematically only. Suflice it to say that when the upper die 17 is moved down upon the lower die 16, they will clinch the overlap.

10 in the overlap 1:2 in accordance with To facilitate this in the form of the die shown, the upstanding flange 13 is preliminarily turned inwardly at an acute angle, that is, forty-fived, the name being taken from the fact that it is turned over approximately at 45.

Engaging the bottom of the door in the form of door illustrated as free from the overlap flange 12 at this part of the door, is a transverse aligning bar 18 pivoted on atransverse axis 19 and operable into and out of transverse bottom aligning engagement with the door by means of amotor oylinder20 operable by fluid from any convenient source.

Projecting through the spindle aperture of the outer panel 11 only is a fixed aligning pin 21. \Vholly within the window opening 22 'of thedooris the principal aligning and clamping mechanism 23 which constitutes the principal mechanism of my invention. A centrally located cylinder 24 mounts a piston'25 which mounts an upwardly projecting rod 26 which carries on its upper end a -mounting plate 27 for the work engaging members of the clamping mechanism. These clamping members comprise diagonally projectable arms 28 slidably retained in diagonallyextendingways 29, and extensible and V retraotible in the ways from positions within the perimeter of the window opening 22 where they clear the door panels entirely, to

- positions overlying the top of the inner panel 10, as shown in dotted lines. In the overlying position, the tips 30 are adapted to engage I and clamp vertically downward upon the inner panel 10. Such extension and retraction is achieved by means of links 31 connected with the respective arms 28 and commonly connected with a centrally located disc 32 oscillatable about the'upper end of the rod 26 by means of a motor cylinder 33 having a pivotal connection 34 with the plate 27, and

supplied from a suitable source of fluid pressure, (not shown). Springs 35 acting on the under side ofthe plate 27 and between it and the cylinder 24 retain it normally in elevated position. But by application of fluid pres-.

' sure to motor cylinder 24, the head 27 and.

with it all of the arms 28 as projected by motor cylinder 33 may be drawn downwardly.

' under pressure to clamp the work through the fingers 30 of the arms 28. So operated, it is maintained in alignment by the vertically ex-. tending aligning rods 36 having a fixed con-. nection with the plate 27 and a lost motion connection with the base 37 of the apparatus. Also, wholly within the perimeter of the window opening, and therefore also within. the substantially closed projections of the dies 16, 17 is an interior aligning mechanism. This is in the form of a swinging arm 38 pivotally mountedon a pedestal 39 having its foundation in the base 37 of the apparatus, within the perimeter of the window opening. This arm is in the plane of the path of the window of the door and of a thickness permitting it to be swung in that plane from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 where, in vertical projection, it lies within the projected perimeter of the window opening, betweenthe panels 10 and 11 ofthe door, over the top of the aligning pin 21 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and into engagement by its outer end 41 with the'lock bolt opening 42 in the edge of the door, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2. The end 41 of the arm 38 is provided with an offset which enters that opening as clearly appears in Fig. 1, and accurately fits it, thereby to align the inner panel which provides the edge of the door and contains this boltopening. Movement of arm 38 is achieved by a motor cylinder 43 pivoted to base 37 at 44 and connecting by its piston rod 45 with the arm 38. V

In operation, in the embodiment shown, the inner panel 10 is pre-assembled upon the outer panel and the upstanding flange 13 of the outer panel as. it comes from the dies is forty-fived over. .The, panels 'so pre-assembled are together placed upon the lower one 16 I of the two perimetrally extending clinching dies 16, 17. The fixed aligning pin 21 for the outer panel 11 enters the spindle aperture as shown in Figs. ,1 and 2. The bottom of the door engages a shoulder 46 in the bottom portion of the ,perimetral lower die 16 and is aligned thereby. The inner and outer panels 10 and 11 may or may not have been preliminarily welded together at the bottom, and in this embodiment of the invent-ion it is presumed they have not been so welded. Fluid pressure is then admitted to cylinder 43 to projectthe normally retracted arm 38 (held retracted by suitable spring not shown) from within the perimeter of window opening 22 outwardly between the panels 10 and 11 to engage its end 41 in the look opening 42 to further align vertically the inner panel with respect to the outer panel as already aligned by pin 21 and shoulder 46. Thereupon fluid pressure is admitted to cylinder 20 to oscillate the aligning and clamping bar 18 downwardly into aligning and clamping engagement with the lower edge of the inner panel '10 as shownin dotted lines in Fig. 2. Then fluid pressure is admitted to cylinder 33 to project the arms 28 laterally from within the perimeter of the window opening 22 in projection, to positions outwardly thereof and overlying the inner panel 10 in the corners of the window opening. Finally, fluid pressure is applied to cylinder 24 to draw plate 20 and fingers 30 downward- 1y into firm clamping engagement with the inner panel at 10 at the corners of the window opening, as shown in dotted lines in 1y extending die 16, has a substantially closed configuration, is brought down upon the lower die 16, and engages and clinches the upturned flange 13 down upon the flange 14 of the inner panel.

Thus the pre-assembled panels 10 and 11 are first, properly initially aligned on pin 21 and shoulder 46, next, arm 38 may be operated into aligning position, and thereupon fluid pressure may be simultaneously admitted to cylinders 33 and 24 to simultaneously clamp the parts down in the positions in which they have been previously aligned.

The operation of this apparatus carries out the method of my invention with great exactness. It aligns the door by aligning engagement from within and between its inner and outer walls, and clinches it by simultaneous and continuous die engagement of its entire overlap. The method and apparatus solved the problem of aligning and clamping from within the perimeter of the door, and enabled me to effect the economies of production which were the aim of my invention.

Other embodiments and modifications falling within the generic spirit of my invention are to be protected by the annexed claims.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters'Patent is:

1. In combination, complemental door overlap clinching dies each forming a substantially continuous die face throughout the door overlap, and door aligning devices mounted within the continuous die face and engaging the door from between its inner and outer walls.

2. In combination, complemental door overlap clinching dies each forming a substantially continuous die face throughout the door overlap, and door alignin devices mounted within the continuous die face, and in part at least, extensible and retractable between the inner and outer walls of the door substantially parallel to the plane of the dies. 3. In combination, complemental door overlapping clinching dies each forming a substantially continuous die face throughout the door overlap, and door clamping means between the dies and within the continuous die face thereof.

4. The method of clinching double walled automobile doors in the overlap thereof,which consists in aligning the door walls by aligning engagement from within and between its inner and outer walls, and clinching by simultaneous die engagement throughout the overlap.

5. The method of clinching double walled automobile doors in the overlap thereof, which consists in aligning the door walls by aligning engagement from within and between its inner and outer walls effected by Way of a wlndow opening, and clinching by simultaneous die engagement throughout the entire overlap.

In testimony whereof he hereunto aflixes his signature.

CAROLUS L. EKSERGIAN. 

